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CQC inspectors closed down a practice in Nottinghamshire after discovering a healthcare assistant employed by the practice was being allowed to pose as a qualified doctor, it has emerged.

The healthcare assistant was described as a ‘doctor’ by the practice, and diagnosed and treated patients, CQC findings reveal, which has led to more than 400 patients undergoing a clinical review.

The Willows Medical Centre was temporarily closed in June after an unannounced inspection, which rated the practice as inadequate on all areas except provision of caring services, on which it was deemed to require improvement.

Neighbouring practices have been taking on patients registered at the practice, which has some 3,600 patients on its list.

Now the CQC’s full report reveals that among a series of failings, the practice ‘was employing a healthcare assistant who was not registered with any professional body but who was undertaking the tasks of a qualified healthcare professional’, including 'assessing and diagnosing patients and undertaking internal examinations’.

Further details reveal that this member of staff – employed since March - was ‘known within the practice as a “doctor”, used this title in correspondence and appeared on the appointment system as a doctor’.

The practice had a list of ‘problems’ that could be dealt with by the ‘doctor’, including blood pressure checks, diabetes reviews, vitamin B12 injections, chest infections and checks for throat infections.

The CQC found that the member of staff carried out an internal examination and referral to a gynaecologist, assessment of a possible infection of a feeding tube and assessments of wound and infections, including taking decisions to ask for analysis of samples, details show.

The local CCG said it had been ‘shocked’ by the findings, which were an ‘unacceptable breach of trust’.

NHS North and East Nottingham CCG said 416 patients had undergone a clinical review since the findings emerged, with 70 patients recalled ‘as a precautionary measure’.

The CQC had suspended the practice until September with recommendations for improvements, but GP principle Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro has now resigned, so the CCG is still looking at alternative options for patients in the area.

The practice was also at the centre of controversy for some time prior to the closure, after Dr Nyatsuro was accused of seizing a farm in Zimbabwe under President Mugabe’s land redistribution scheme, with campaigners staging protests outside the surgery.

Dr James Hopkinson, clinical lead for NHS Nottingham North and East CCG, said: ‘We are shocked by the CQC’s findings and we are sorry that the patients served by the Willows Medical Centre have been let down in this way. As Commissioners, we also feel let down by this practice.

‘What has happened is an unacceptable breach of trust and the standards of care we expect for our patients. We want to reassure patients that this is highly unusual and is not representative of the standards upheld by the overwhelming majority of our GPs and practice staff.’

Readers' comments (11)

Anonymous
| Sessional/Locum GP26 Aug 2016 1:59pm

The whole 5YFV is predicated on us delegating tasks to non-doctor healthcase professionals in a protocolised fashion. The real issue is the government have refused to give clear guidance and support as to what it is appropriate to delegate and what must be seen by a nurse or GP.

Diabetic checks, giving injections and blood pressure checks are all standardized procedures which would be good candidates for delegation in the unprecedented NHS financial squeeze. Some of the above list is probably a step too far but until the DOH define clearly what is acceptable and what is not, their plans are doomed to failure.

I heard of an organization staffed exclusively by dimwits. they are posing as inspectorate for entire healthcare sector. No one knows what they do or why. They are called CQC and they are above the law, so cannot be shut down.

They are not serious...commentsThe NHS is run by CCG gps and their cronies and they unqualified work as far as the intention to move services to local gps.They should have checked if they were looking at how local providers were doing...way before the CQC Well done cqc as Zimbabwe may have issues brought here in provision in f care

This is quite misleading. The CQC DID NOT shut them down, they knew the practice was a total failure in every possible way but they still gave them several months to "improve". In essence the CQC colluded to provide a risky service during this period, and the practice only shut down because the offending GP had had enough and resigned....It shut down because there was no one to run it NOT because the CQC made a professional decision.

In reality there is a case for investigating the CQC for knowingly putting patients in danger.

GPs are a special case, any other provider would have been shut down on the spot